Thurman stifles UCSB on four hits

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IRVINE UC Irvine's Andrew Thurman has been as dominant as any collegiate pitcher in the nation throughout the past month.

The sophomore right-hander was his dominant self in the first of three Big West games vs. UC Santa Barbara on Friday night at Anteater Ballpark.

Thurman scattered four hits and struck out six in a complete-game 2-0 victory.

“It's nice to be able to go out the first night and set the tone for the series,” Thurman said.

The victory was fourth in a row for Thurman (6-2), who has tossed three consecutive complete games and allowed just two earned runs over the past 35 innings. Included in that stretch is a no-hitter against Long Beach State on April 14.

“If we go all the way back to when we recruited him, we thought he was not only going to be good, but maybe be special,” Irvine coach Mike Gillespie said. “He's on a real roll.”

The victory puts the Anteaters (25-17, 9-7) in a three-way tie for third in the Big West with the Gauchos (23-20, 9-7) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Irvine still has plenty of work to do catch first place Cal State Fullerton (10-3) or even second-place Long Beach State (11-4).

The Gauchos put the leadoff runner on base in each of the first three innings.

In the first and second, they were left stranded at third by Thurman.

And the runner in the third was erased on an inning-ending double play.

After retiring the first two batters in the sixth, Thurman yielded a pair of singles. The Orange Lutheran graduate then struck out Greg Mahle to end the threat.

Santa Barbara had runners on second base in both the seventh and eighth innings, but Thurman again pitched out of trouble.

Thurman then set down the side in order in the ninth.

“The adrenaline just kind of took over,” said Thurman of the final inning. “It was a 2-0 game so a couple of hits would change a lot of things.”

The contest was scoreless through four innings.

Irvine's No. 9 hitter, Dillon Moyer, led off the fifth with a walk, took second on a wild pickoff throw and stole third.

With one out, Tommy Reyes singled home Moyer with the game's first run.

Later in the inning, Connor Spencer's bases-loaded single scored Reyes to make the score 2-0.

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